Double-booking a problem MLS needs to avoid

February 08, 2008

Leave it to England to show the Yanks a thing or two about growing the game of soccer back in the colonies.

While English Premier League owners were floating the idea of bringing many of soccer’s biggest names to us, Major League Soccer was releasing a schedule that will again take some of its best players off the field for national team duty.

Granted, the conflict involves only a few days in a seven-month season this year. But in years where there’s a major international tournament — summers when the World Cup is played, say — the absences are more prolonged.

With soccer still fighting for exposure in the United States, MLS needs to showcase David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and the like every chance it can, not play games without them.

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“We try to schedule away, as far as possible, from FIFA’s international fixture dates,” said Ivan Gazidis, deputy commissioner of MLS. “Over the long term, I certainly think our objective is to move away from the dates entirely. At the moment, it is not an entirely practical thing.”

FIFA, soccer’s governing body, sets aside certain dates throughout the year for national team games. While most of the top leagues shut down on those dates — there were no games in the Premier League or Italy’s Serie A on Wednesday — MLS does not.

The Los Angeles Galaxy will host the Chicago Fire on Aug. 21, a day after the United States will likely play a World Cup qualifier and England will likely have an exhibition. Translation: the Galaxy are unlikely to have Donovan or Beckham.

Similar problems exist with weekends in both September and October.

There are several reasons why MLS double-books, starting with its summer schedule and the fact not all of its teams play in their own stadiums where they control the schedule.

But the stadium issue gets to be less of a problem every year — Real Salt Lake is set to open the seventh soccer-specific stadium this season — and MLS needs to do what it can in the future to minimize conflicts. Especially when the break is only for a couple of days.

“It’s not ideal, but nobody lives in an ideal scheduling world,” Gazidis said. “We’re trying to move there. We’re certainly doing a much better job than we did early on. But we can’t avoid all conflicts.”

True, but can you imagine the New York Yankees playing without A-Rod and Derek Jeter? Or the Boston Red Sox letting Big Papi and Josh Beckett go for the World Baseball Classic during the regular season? No way. Baseball would sooner hand over its drug testing to WADA than squander resources like that, and MLS has earned the right to start acting like one of the big boys.

The anti-soccer faction refuses to admit it, but soccer’s U.S. fan base has exploded in the last decade and will continue to do so. Not only is MLS surviving, it’s thriving with 14 teams and a 15th set to begin play next year in Seattle. Whenever the league is ready to expand again, Philadelphia and St. Louis want franchises.

TV ratings for the 2006 World Cup were better than anyone expected, and that was even with the U.S. men going home early. ABC and ESPN will show every single one of the European Championship games this summer. Go to any city in the country, and you’ll find people wearing Arsenal or Real Madrid or AC Milan jerseys.

No wonder the Premier League announced Thursday it is considering playing regular-season games in the United States and elsewhere beginning in 2010-11.

The host cities haven’t been selected yet. But considering Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid all played to sold-out crowds in recent preseason visits, at least one and maybe two American cities are sure to be high on the EPL’s wish list.

“Something is happening quite dramatically in this country, and that’s the very big marketplace and fan following for the game. Overseas that’s recognized,” Gazidis said. “That’s not just because of where we are today, but I think it’s also because there’s a real belief … we will become a much bigger player in the future.”

Going global is the name of all games these days. Teams from almost every major league travel far from home for offseason exhibitions that generate interest and — let’s be honest — cash.

Manchester United did a swing through Asia last summer, while the Boston Celtics and three other NBA teams played preseason exhibitions in Spain, Turkey, Italy and Britain. Even the Galaxy starts a tour of Hawaii, South Korea and China in two weeks.

The NFL, NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball have all upped the ante by sending regular-season games overseas, and EPL owners aren’t about to be left behind. Shelling out for tickets to see Wayne Rooney sit on the bench or play part of a game gets old after the first time or two. Put Manchester United and West Ham in Tampa for a game that counts — or perhaps Liverpool and Newcastle in Dallas, and Aston Villa and Chelsea in Cleveland — and that’s going to grab folks’ attention.

Maybe the clubs could even find a goalkeeper with English heritage to bring back for Fabio Capello as a souvenir.

Fans in England are outraged by the EPL’s idea, of course, as is the British media. And even FIFA isn’t sold on the concept yet, saying it needs further investigation. But make no mistake, it will happen eventually. Soccer is growing in the United States, and everybody needs to adapt.